Abstract
No one knows exactly when the Indians first entered the area we now call Kentucky, but there is an approximation. Archeologists have found evidence of Clovis camps and living sites in the state (9,000 to 12,000 B.P.), This would have been during the Paleo Stage, toward the end of the last ice age. The climate of the area would have been much cooler then. The selection of plants and animals would also have been different than those found in modern times.
Paleo Indians used plants for food, utility and medical uses. It seems that plant use during this period is limited when compared to later stages.
During the Archaic Stage the Indians learned to use plants to make textiles. They also learned to cultivate a number of plants for both food and utility.
The Mississippian Stage produced a culture with a large number of small farming communities and characterized by large temple mounds.
Disciplines
Agriculture | Agronomy and Crop Sciences | Anthropology | Biological and Physical Anthropology | Botany | Food Processing | Food Science | History | History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology | Life Sciences | Medicine and Health Sciences | Native American Studies | Other Plant Sciences | Plant Sciences | Race, Ethnicity and Post-Colonial Studies | Social and Behavioral Sciences | Social and Cultural Anthropology
Recommended Citation
Crume, Chuck, "UA37/13 Plants Used by the Prehistoric Indians of Kentucky" (1985). Faculty/Staff Personal Papers. Paper 354.
https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/fac_staff_papers/354
Included in
Agriculture Commons, Agronomy and Crop Sciences Commons, Biological and Physical Anthropology Commons, Botany Commons, Food Processing Commons, History Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons, Medicine and Health Sciences Commons, Native American Studies Commons, Other Plant Sciences Commons, Social and Cultural Anthropology Commons
Comments
Paper delivered to meeting of Kentucky Academy of Science, November 8, 1985.